The recent successful nuclear test performed by the North Koreans was a blow to world stability and a grievous setback for nuclear non-proliferation. It has the potential to plunge Asia and the rest of the world into a reprise of the nuclear arms race. What is astounding, though, is that Kim Jong-Il so brazenly defied the United States, putatively the greatest power in the world. Despite the fact that the Republican government has taken a "hard line" on North Korea, and despite that country's placement within the vaunted "axis of evil," this rogue nation was able to flout American will and plunge the world into danger. Bush may fault Clinton for being lenient towards the North Koreans, but under the Democrats, no psychotic dictatorships openly developed nuclear weapons. Now, between North Korea and Iran, two evil states have attained, or are approaching, the ability to wipe out a city in a single swoop. The Republicans wasted their mandate to keep America safe by forcing us into a needless and foolish war, one that has had no appreciable benefits to our country, and indeed has enabled our other enemies to make the world a far more dangerous place. The GOP has failed as a national security party, and they must go.
Those with true concern for our national safety cannot even consider the Republicans a viable option this November. However, the other secret to GOP success has been their deviously skillful use of wedge issues and "moral values" to portray Democrats as avatars of an amoral, lenient and anti-religious culture. Similarly, they have positioned themselves as the virtuous defenders of order, families and God. The recent Mark Foley scandal has ripped this Machiavellian mask away from the Republican leadership in Congress, exposing them as corrupt, venal and power-hungry. Foley was a Republican congressman from Florida who solicited sex online from his underage male pages. In spite of the fact that Republican Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) and caucus leader Tom Reynolds (R-NY) knew of Foley's perverted acts months before the story broke, they decided that their own political safety was more important than the well-being of the teenage boys that their colleague was stalking.
In choosing to cover up Foley's misdeeds, the Republican Party forfeited all claims to moral leadership. They demonstrated that they were willing to provide protection for a monster in order to preserve their own careers. The Republicans were prepared to allow a child molester to keep his place chairing a committee on missing and exploited children. They have failed as a moral party, and they must go.
The legacy of this past session of Congress has been one of misguided policies, corrupt politicians and utter failure of leadership. Republican leaders have presided over failed reforms, an energy crisis, security flaws and unprecedented political and moral corruption. Foley-gate and the Korean debacle plainly prove that Republicans have worn out their welcome. When considering your vote this Election Day, ask yourself whether you have had enough of Republican misrule, of scandals and blunders. Personally, I have no great faith in the Democrats, and I detest American liberals. However, where the Republicans represent power, privilege and a hypocritical moral certitude, there remains deep within the Democratic Party a legacy of populism, of the belief in opportunity and liberty for every American that makes them inherently the better choice to lead Congress these next two years. That is why I will be voting for Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents like Jeffords and Lieberman. I urge all patriots to register and vote to reclaim our country.
Schulwolf is a first-year who lives and dies with the New York Mets.